Category: Announcements

Data Protection Management in Data Centers

Do you feel insecure about your data in data centers? Do you know the secret of Data protection in Data centers? Well, yeah, everyone wants a good data protection management system. Could data protection be really possible? Let’s see !!

In today’s scenario the evolution of virtualization along with the rapid growth of data has triggered the necessity for implementing data protection management system. What do you mean by Data Protection? It’s not simply protection of data from threats. It provides automated and recoverable backup service ensuring that data run on predefined schedule and the availability of data on time to those entities who has access. Here we also keep in mind that they should be responsible for data recovery and disaster recovery. By focusing on the unstructured data and using the right platform for storage helps the companies to reduce the cost of maintaining and managing data.

Why data needs to be protected? There are various risks for data protection. Whenever the original data suffer issues like user error, an electrical spike, equipment failure, natural disaster or inappropriate access,data center should be able to restore the data from backup storage systems like tape, disk or cloud. These backup take advantage of the speed of process and restores in the short-term of period.

Data protection method is RRC. Restore-Recover and Conquer. Restore the data after an event caused by one of the risks above mentioned. Recovery method allows you to function the business as before. Now completely come up with new strategies to conquer your world of business. The way most companies waste money without analyzing the functionality of their business structure.

For a more permanent solution, there are mainly four tasks such as, Monitoring, Protection, Recovery and Management. So data center must offer a detailed custom analysis of entire data and most right data protection performance.

A typical data protection system includes 3 types of services as follows:

1) Data Backup
2) Data Storage
3) Data Recovery

The Data protection system has a lot of data backup mechanisms. These includes Continuous Data Protection(CDP), Tape backup and storage screenshots. In these copies data are taken from original location to backup system or pointers are used to point information stored on the disks which will provide the best overall data protection.The time for Backup schedule and the backup interval should be apt so that it may not interrupt other services and the process itself should be a priority one. Make sure that your backup strategy aligns with your business requirements

The Data storage mechanisms on the other hand must provide adequate and reliable storage space and quick or fast access to the data. Consistency and availability of data should also be taken into consideration. The hard disks that are used must be consistent in performance and offer redundancy in any case of disk failure. Fibre channel and RAID mechanisms offer a higher level of data storage mechanism.

Data recovery should start with the recovery planning i.e to recover data in case of any data loss. Ensure that the data center have tape and optical drives, along with some disk-to-disk backup; it is important that the the value of your data and workloads to the characteristics of each backup technology that you are using must be in sync. Then comes the restoration phase in which data which is corrupted or lost is recovered back. These may include different mechanisms. If the data is of virtual origin, then the restoration will be quick. The physical disk restoration takes its own time. Ultimately you need the ability to get all of your data back to their original state after a disaster or event of data loss.

So in short Data Protection Management must be considered as a primary goal so as to ensure safety of each and every amount of data within a data center, so that they can safely overcome any sort of disaster which may cause data loss.

Finding The Right Data Center OR Colocation Provider

How do we know if a data center is good? Do security and power capability features still matter these days? Like most things, making decision can be tough. Most companies will have similar claims. At FDC Servers we know that every client is unique and has different requirements, that’s why we offer creative approach for different infrastructure.

So physical location to network integration, there are number of critical features you should consider before you make a decision. Minor differences between data center providers can have a major impact on business. Placing your business infrastructure with the right data center can ensure an optimal deployment.

The following factors can help you select the right colocation services provider for your business :

POWER

In modern data centers, the main overlooked element among the prerequisites for data center operations is electric power. The greatest challenge associated with the electric power utilized for running a data center is the effective balancing of load power, which when properly done enables to obtain a consistent uptime and facilitates the usage of extra power. Factors such as availability of power, cost efficiency of available power, reliable sources, reliability of available power, impact on environment and the redundancy in power distribution determines the efficiency of power utilization. Power compartmentalization is another important aspect related to data center power distribution. It is the practice of isolating power systems and paths from one another so as to ensure each distinct part of the infrastructure can independently run on its own. Without effective power compartmentalization, the risk of downtime goes up significantly.

NETWORK CONNECTIVITY

The performance of data center not only depends on software, hardware and access density but also on network connectivity. Connectivity determines the way in which the information services and applications hosted in the data center are retrieved, which in turn has an intense impact on the performance, security and reliability of data centers. Beyond the demand for efficient performance, these data center networks must facilitate virtualization and should provide error free recovery mechanisms to protect against server, storage, network, and application vulnerabilities so as to provide continued performance and low rate service interruptions.

SECURITY

Security is a vital part of a data center. Security must be implemented in such a way that it should stop outside attackers from getting in and also data from going out. Data centers need to monitor that all data center operations interact correctly and each element of the data center is secure. Physical Security must be in such a way that it should monitor all incoming and outgoing traffic and should grant access to the authorized persons only. Proximity badge & biometric scanners secures access to places like these. Data centers must be under camera surveillance so as to monitor the place each and every second. Preventing attacks from malwares should also be considered as a primary security challenge. These must be countered using malware-scanning mechanisms.

PROTECTION

Other than physical security a data center must have robust disaster recovery measures so as to handle a natural disaster or other events like fire outbreak or any sort of disruption. Data There must be backup power supplying units so as to ensure uninterrupted power supply to data centers. In all these cases the data needs to be protected so there should be an efficient backup mechanism preferably an auto backup system and along with that data access should be shifted accordingly to another data center so that users can keep working, uninterrupted. The location of each hard drive in data centers must be trackable and status of these drives could be read at any time. The drives that cannot be used any longer should be destroyed in such a way that information in those mustn’t be accessed by anyone at any cost.

LOCATION

The location of a data center is another important factor determining the efficiency of data center. A data center should be located in such a place which provides remote access to computers with ease and have a strong standard telecommunications infrastructure, it can be located just about anywhere. Few things that should be kept in mind while selecting location are:
The geographical location should be an ideal one which means that it should be capable of withstanding natural disasters, climatic variations etc. The location should favor excellent availability, low cost and ease use of power. The location should facilitate excellent telecommunication infrastructure. The transportation facilities available in the location, labour availability along with its cost must be also taken into consideration.

SUPPORT

The data center providers should be capable of providing 24/7/365 in-facility support. A colocation provider of good standards knows what is important to their clients and they build up the intended customer base to provide the required services. They will also have expert staffs having advanced technical background, engaged and onsite 24/7. In case of an inquiry or in the event of an issue, the support team should be able to respond to the customer without any delay and solve the issue rather than escalating the issue to other support groups. The data center must be able to provide remote hands services for the management of the infrastructure of their customers by which they can remotely access the equipment without their physical presence. Finally a data center provider should be offering its customers yearly plans and review its customer support offered to the clients.

EFFICIENCY

In rapidly evolving and competing markets consistency and future growth makes you stand out. A data center has to be properly organized without any flaws in order to achieve efficiency. A data center must be well efficient to meet both current and anticipated needs and it is possible through only prudent planning and dexterous engineering. A data center possessing a reliable architecture is the most acute variable. Redundancy is another factor determining efficiency. A data center must be capable of restoring data in any case of failures with the help of redundant devices like hard disks, operating systems communication links etc along with infrastructure redundancy. An efficient data center lowers costs reduce risks and failures and withstands natural disasters effectively without any loss of data. Sustainable design, high performance infrastructure and proper management of available energy plays a vital role in increasing the efficiency of a data center.

FLEXIBILITY

Flexibility is another important aspect of a data center. Building a data center that can adjust or withstand any changes without any disruption is challenging one and should be integrated from the ground up. Flexibility can be achieved in many ways. Carrier neutrality provides the greatest flexibility since they can bring their own carriers. High bandwidth availability provides the flexibility to connect multiple sites and multiple customers. The space accommodating the data center must be in such a way that it can be easily extendable in multiple directions so as to accommodate the future growth. The data center must be flexible in resiliency too. Different tiers should be configured properly so that different zones should be placed in the apt way. Infrastructure flexibility is another thing, which incorporates the electric power, air conditioning and other hardware resources. These should be capable of modulating without disruption.

FUTURE GROWTH

Every data center aims at constant improvement in their operations, customer relationship and flexibility to meet the future needs. Noticeable changes should be made in the way in which data is stored managed and regulated. The data centers must try to scale better and create more powerful cloud. The customer needs an infrastructure with efficient virtualization, automations including well-established network and implementation of modern hardware so as to make the future data center agile. The data centers must be scalable in order to meet customer requirements. Power management and disaster recovery mechanisms should be upgraded so as to make the future operations safe. For the future growth the data centers should simplify the network significantly. More efficient and simpler architectures are being invented and can be implemented by data centers. Today the conventional CMOS technology is used for packet transmission and switching. This can be replaced by the most modern concept of photonics with the help optical fibers. More over data centers must deploy ingenious and groundbreaking technologies in critical areas of the network.

FDC Servers is happy to offer a year end deal on Enterprise SSD VPS in Los Angeles (USA) that is surely to put a smile on everyone’s holiday season.

Virtual Servers with super fast SSD storage are ideal for all hosting needs. Add to this our best-in-world bandwidth pricing and then you have a combination of processing power, stroage, connectivity and FDC Servers quality with these special incentives:

Prepay for 2 months and receive3 monthsof servicePrepay for 10 months and receive12 monthsof service

Are you ready for the Bandwidth (R)Evolution?

FDC Servers will now offer the best deal on non-oversubscribed Internet connectivity for dedicated servers and colocation hosting solutions.

Starting December 1st, we will introduce a new market shattering Dedicated Bandwidth service. Our team is thrilled to announce unprecedented deals on non-oversubscribed connectivity for bare metal servers and colocation.

Ok, so what does this service offer?

The Best connectivity pricing

100% Dedicated bandwidth

No Bandwidth Oversubscription

Over provisioned uplink capacity

Unmetered Traffic

Capacity to deliver up to 60 Petabytes of data per server per month

Bandwidth usable 24/7 with No Restrictions at full port capacity

Custom solutions and configurations based on client`s requirements

Flexible month to month terms

Fast server and connectivity deployment

In addition to superb connectivity, the new special will offer brand name servers with 72+GB RAM, all SSD storage, full IPMI access and fiber optic connectivity provisioned all the way to the server. This setup will ensure no bottleneck infrastructure that is capable of full port utilization.

Colocation clients can look forward to service packages unparalleled in the industry when it comes to price and connectivity.

This new service delivers Tier 1 dedicated unmetered bandwidth for high powered bare metal servers and enterprise colocation across markets in North America and Europe. Choose from over 17 Datacenters in all major metropolitan cities situated in 8 countries.

Our dedicated bandwidth service will enable startups and existing hosting companies to gain near instant access to Terabits of Internet connectivity across multiple continents & countries, without having to make a long term commitment or having to sign a contract.

Secondly, consumers will benefit from the most aggressive bandwidth pricing on the market.

Our Madrid datacenter will deliver the usual feature set of enterprise class environment and extra security. Housed within Madrid’s largest power plant, 24×7 manned security, video surveillance, exorbitant power supply and redundancy are the highlights that make this facility very unique and exciting.

cPanel is a leader in simplifying hosting environments with intuitive yet powerful dashboards. The cPanel/WHM 11.50 lives up to expectations by adding several new features and improvements to its lauded list of features and offerings.

Here are the 10 new features that you must absolutely know and leverage:

1. Support for CentOS7
Support for fresh installations of CentOS 7 (both 7.0 and 7.1) has been introduced in the latest release. This support introduces the powerful (and recently updated) features of the operating system. The latest upgrades of CentOS7 introduce support for two-factor authentication, a major IPA update, improved support for container, and addition of the OpenJDK8 for developers, and returning the Thunderbird.

Furthermore, you can install the cPanel & WHM with MariaDB instead of MySQL. Learn how with the Installation Guide.

2. Greylisting’s Spam Magic

Protect your server against spam with the new Greylisting feature that defers all emails sent by unknown and new triplets using the new cpgreylist daemon. WHM’s Greylisting feature is accessible through Home>Email>Greylisting, where you can:

3. Calendars and Contacts
Two new protocols, the CardDAV and CalDAV allow Webmail and cPanel account users the ability to remotely create and share their calendar and contacts using third party applications. The protocols can be accessed through on two secure ports (2079 and 2080). The interface can be configured at:

· cPanel users: Home>Mail>Calendars and Contacts Client Configuration

· Webmail users: Home>Mail>Webmail

However, the CalDAV feature will not work with iOS Reminder apps if the server is using a self-signed SSL certificate.

4. A New cPanel User System IDs
The range for possible number of User IDs (UUDs) and Group IDs (GIDs) has been changed. Now servers running CentOS7 can create between 200 to 999 UIDs and GIDs. Other supported OS can create a maximum of 500.

5. Corrupt MySQL System Databases Notifications for Administrators
A new script that runs with nightly maintenance has been introduced for monitoring the MySQL system databases. All essential databases are regularly checked, and in case of a corrupt database, the server administrator will be sent an email — continuously at spaced time periods till the database is no longer corrupt.

6. A Simpler Way to Remove Plugin Files
The uninstall_plugin script (/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/uninstall_plugin) introduces a simpler way for removing all the files of a plugin. Further information is available at 11.5’s Uninstall Plugins documentation.

7. Quickly identify trigger visitors with Passive OS Fingerprinting
The GeoIP identifier has been improved and email notifications will offer additional information (including OS). Newer, customizable templates for notifications are available in the Template Toolkit. The additional information allows enhanced visitor segmentation as you can quickly identify visitors that trigger events.

8. Dedicated Horde SQLite Database
The Horde data that was previously stored on MySQL has been move to cPanel’s very own Horde SQLite database. This is valid for only the cPanel & WHM version 11.50. If you decide to migrate to an earlier version, the account’s Horde data will not be exported to the MySQL database for Horde. You will have to perform the migration manually. For any problems with Horde migration, read cPanel’s documentation on Horde Data Behavior

9. Increased Default Password Strength and PostgreSQL Account Suspension
With the 11.50, the strength for the default password has been raised to 40, whereas the PostgreSQL accounts that were previously not been suspended during the suspension process has been corrected.

10. cPHulk stores Login History for an Year
The cphulkd.known_netblock MySQL table store netblock information and username for all successful login. A useful notification for users/admins accessing the server via dynamically assigned IP addresses.

Simply put, a content delivery network (CDN) is a means of accelerating access to the information from your company or other business’ web pages to the end user viewing them. This could be content for any type of information including eCommerce pages to retail customers, video streams to social media viewers, game pages to hundreds of on-line participants, business video feeds, and other applications. In today’s digital age, the “Internet of Things” (IoT) has made reliable high-speed communications essential to many types of businesses.

Performance is key in this market, as customers or gamers who lose interest due to poor response will quickly move on to other media that provides response levels that hold their interest. A CDN provides a solution to web page performance by providing content to the viewer from a CDN server closest to the end user. This provides accelerated viewing of web pages, video streaming services, or games being played. The result is an improved experience by the end user, especially for high-traffic and geographically-diverse locations.

Why a CDN Is Important to Your Business

Today’s IoT means that all sort of consumers are demanding online access from their retailers, social media, video streaming providers, educational resources, and gaming providers. The only limit is the imagination of business and demands of the consumer. As your customers become increasingly savvy in this digital environment, you must be prepared to meet these expectations. Benefits of CDN implementation can help you meet these requirements by providing these benefits:

Accelerated viewing of web pages

Improved performance of video streaming and gaming

Reliable and high-speed access to company web pages

Capacity provided without company infrastructure cost

Distributed network results in improved local performance for users

Cost control – pay for what you need, don’t build the capacity internally

CDN Is Already Available and In Use

CDN is a time-proven technology with multiple providers of the service who provide differing options and capabilities. Examples of companies profiting from implementing CDN technology:

Retailers – all types and sizes benefit through improved performance and consistent access to their sales web sites. This is true for small businesses and global enterprises alike

Publishers – online content is delivered consistently and globally

As you can see from this partial list of businesses and applications the benefits from adoption of CDN technology can be achieved across industries of all types and sizes.

Why do You Need a CDN?

In a word—speed. When performance and user experience are important elements in your content delivery, a CDN can provide significant advantages. When a target audience can be located over a greatly dispersed area typical of today’s global enterprises, there can be considerable delays in content delivery caused by latency. Application servers may reside in California USA, with the end user’s computer in Germany, generating a large amount of data traversing the Atlantic Ocean with resulting delays in delivery to the user. With a CDN, the same static content desired may also reside on a server in Frankfurt, Germany, or London, England providing the user with significant performance benefits due to proximity to the source.

Additional scenarios exist where a CDN can provide similar improvements in response. There may be peak periods of demand for your content, putting extremely high demand on a dedicated server in a fixed location causing performance issues and even system crashes. By distributing this load over a CDN that problem can be totally eliminated.

CDNs are available to meet your specific needs, providing a cost-effective solution for reliable and high-performance content delivery and video streaming.

Important Objectives before you consider implementing a CDN Solution:

When evaluating your options in implementing a Content Distribution Network strategy, it’s critical to consider all the aspects of your decision including these criteria:

Performance – Will the vendor provide the level of service you need, that will keep your audience engaged? When considering performance, be sure this applies to all intended destinations, whether national or global.

Location – Does your potential vendor provide access in multiple locations? This can impact the resulting performance experience at the end destination, as the closer your user is to the CDN provider’s server, the more reliable the performance and viewing experience will be.

Scalability – Can you purchase just the capacity you need, to control cost? After implementation, can you expand to quickly accommodate growth?

Flexibility – Is the vendor service compatible with every form of technology your end users will potentially utilize? This is likely to include PCs, Mac computers, tablets, and smart phones.

Support – After signing up, will you receive the level of support you require to ensure you receive continuous reliable service?

Cost-effective – Is the service available within your budget? Available services may vary greatly in cost. Be sure you’re not signing up for a long-term service that cannot truly accommodate your needs at a cost-effective price.